Autumn in the Dark Meadows (The Autumn Series) (10 page)

“I can talk to Ben about trying to fix ours,” Grey said apologetically.

“I don’t mean to be so harsh.  I’m just sick and tired of all of this.”  He sighed and Grey gave him a silent look of understanding; then Daniel disappeared through the door.  Grey immediately turned back to a patient, his shoulders hanging a little lower than they usually did.

I exhaled.  No wonder Daniel was mad.  Until a radio was fixed or found, we wouldn’t be able to communicate with Hoover if we needed more help.

I went back to work on the remainder of my patients, but it wasn’t long until I finished my rounds, cleaning and bandaging every wounded soul in the room.  I stopped in once more to check on Connie, but she was sound asleep.  I pulled a blanket farther up on her and tiptoed away, glad she was finally resting.  I looked around the room and noticed Grey behind the wet bar, cleaning his tools in the sink.  He still seemed low after the public disagreement with Daniel.  The way he leaned against the counter, shoulders slouched and head bent, made him look smaller than he really was.  I watched as he sighed deeply and blinked quickly, as if trying to keep himself awake.  He looked exhausted.   I felt a sudden desire to go talk to him.

“Is that sanitary?”  I asked, sidling up next to him at the sink.

He held up a top shelf bottle of vodka.

“Seems to be your disinfectant of choice.”

He nodded, but didn’t smile.

“So, what’s going on?” I asked, watching him splash more vodka across a small pile of suture needles.

“Well, there’s only minimal infection from all the burns for now.  There’s always that risk in a non-sterile environment, but so far, we’ve been lucky.”  His voice sounded deflated.

“Oh, well that’s good, but that’s not what I meant.”

His ocean blue eyes came up to stare at me for the first time in the conversation, and their perfect clarity stunned me.  He was so beautiful.  I wasn’t surprised I was still drawn to him.  I forced myself to release the breath I’d sucked in.

“With Daniel?” he asked, and I nodded.

“I... didn’t think you’d noticed me,” he said.

“Of course, I still notice you.  How could I not?” I said before I could think.  I paused a moment, waiting to see how he reacted.  Heat rose in my face as I saw the corner of his mouth lift slightly.  I charged ahead to avoid further embarrassing myself with this line of conversation.  “What happened with Daniel?  Why were you guys fighting?  You never fight.”

“We’re cut off from Hoover.  We need to get in touch with them to report our arrival and the situation here, and we can’t.  Daniel’s frustrated.”

“Vegas never had a problem talking to Hoover before.  Why can’t we use one of their radios?”  I asked.  It was a little intimidating to think we were completely cut off.

“They just got the power up before we got here, but the main radio was damaged in the explosion.  Apparently they’re having a hard time locating another working radio.”

“Franklin will find something.  He seems pretty industrious.”

“He is.  I’m sure he’ll find something suitable.”  He dried his hands and gazed at me.  I could see the wheels turning in his mind.

“What?” I prodded him along.

“I wonder if Morse code would transmit through the static.  Daniel said it powered up fine, it just wouldn’t transmit audio.  But that’s assuming, of course, that there’s someone at Hoover who knows how to interpret the code.”

“Let me guess, you know Morse code?”  I knew he spoke several languages, from living all around the world in his very long life, but Morse code seemed specific.

“I learned it during the Battle of France. I recorded it all in my journals, which I lost a few months later during the Blitz. Took me years to recall everything well enough to write it all down again. Though, I suppose I lost it all again, because I left it at the underground hideout in Hollywood after The Front found us.”

“The Blitz?  You were in World War II?!” I said, a little too loudly.

His eyes sparkled with the hint of a smile, and he put his index finger to his lips.  “Shh,” he mouthed and then continued, “I’ve been in most of the world’s major conflicts, Autumn.  What better way for a historian to record things than to witness them firsthand?  I enlisted as a reporter early on, during my time in London.  Most news sources can’t be trusted to relay accurate information during wartime.  Too much propaganda.”  A wide smile spread across his face as he watched my astonishment grow.

It never failed to fascinate me when he casually said things like this.  Remembering he’d been around for so long was startling, but he talked about his past with such ease, as if the person next to him had similar experiences.  I shook my head in awe.  “No wonder you were so good at getting around Los Angeles after The Plague.  You’ve probably seen worse than that... than this even,” I said, looking around at the room full of patients.

He didn’t say anything, only stared out across the rows of sleeping patients.  I could tell he was recalling times no living person left on Earth had memory of.

“There’s another good thing about you,” I said in a low voice.

He shook his head, his eyes dark with question.  “What?”

“My dad told me about when the last Civil War veteran died when he was a kid.  He said it was the end of an era because there was no one left who had experienced it firsthand.  But you’re still here, and you remember.”

“That was the whole point,” he said.  “For me to witness your history and record it.  For quite some time, I only operated as a reporter.  You’ll remember, I wasn’t supposed to get involved with your natural progression.  It wasn’t until about World War II that I started signing up as a medic.  They always suspected I was lying about my age, but they thought I was too
young
to enlist.”

“They would never have believed you if you told them your real age.”

“No, they wouldn’t have.  It wasn’t until the late eighties that the Doogie Howser jokes started.”  He smiled again.

“Yeah, I heard Franklin say that earlier.  Who is that?”

He laughed out loud, his face joyful.  “Never mind,” he said, shaking his head.  “It’s almost mid-afternoon, and you didn’t sleep last night.  Why don’t you go get some rest?”

“Are you going to get a break soon?” I asked, noticing how quickly his smile fell away and the tired way he leaned against the sink.

“I will,” he promised.  “Kathy and JR should be back from their breaks soon, and then I can go.”

As I walked toward the double doors, I realized that was the first conversation I’d had with Grey without memories of my dream of drowning welling up inside me.

I found Vonna and Shad with Franklin, just outside the large ballroom.  Shad sat with his back against the wall, half asleep, while Franklin spoke with Vonna.  Franklin scooped her into a tight hug before leaving, presumably to climb out of the massive hole and rejoin the dig.  I slid down the wall and landed with a bump on the floor next to Shad.  Vonna plopped down next to me and leaned her head back against the wall.

“You guys look like you’ve been hit by trucks,” I mumbled.

“Try helicopter,” corrected Vonna. Shad and I both raised our heads to look at her, eyebrows lifted. She shrugged her small shoulders as if to say, “What? It’s true.” She paused for effect, then continued. “So who’s up for some time in the sandbox?” Vonna said with mock cheerfulness.

“Pass,” Shad and I both said at the same time.  We were quiet for a while, enjoying the silence and not having to move.

My stomach growled loudly, and they both looked at me.

“Hungry?” Shad asked and I nodded, rubbing my rumbling midsection.

“I’ve got some rations stashed in one of the spa suites,” Vonna said, her violet eyes glinting, and a smile tugging at her lips.  "Invite your friends up.  Room 3604.”  Vonna stood up.  “You can’t take the elevator. The whole bank got taken out by the chopper explosion.  Hope you don’t mind the hike.  Meet you guys up there in a few?”

“Sure,” I said.  Room 3604?  “Does that mean the room is on the thirty-sixth floor?” I asked Shad, as Vonna disappeared down the dark hallway.

“These rations better be worth it,” he said, helping me to my feet.  “I’ll go tell Grey to meet us up there.  Did you want to find Rissi?”

I nodded, and we parted ways.  Shad went back into the ballroom, and I walked through the dark hallway to the main casino floor.  Dust and soot hung heavily in the air, making me cough. As I passed the exhibit holding all the fish, I saw a resident haul out a massive salmon that would probably end up being dinner for most everyone tonight.

I passed a row of blackjack tables, where a large group of people ate.  I asked them where the stairs were, and one of them pointed me to a far corner.

I slowly climbed to the second story, feeling lightheaded with hunger. I found room 212 and gently pushed open the door. They were all still asleep, worn out from the long and harrowing night before. The sounds of slumbering children greeted me, their shallow breathing punctuated with the occasional sigh. Children covered the pullout couch and chairs in the living area. I went into the bedroom and found a group of girls lining the bed, with Rissi spread out across the foot of it.

I crept to Rissi and gently brushed her soft, brown curls with my hand.  Her eyes slowly parted, and she groggily stared up at me.  It took almost thirty seconds before she reacted, jumping up to hug me.  Her little arms locked tightly around my shoulders, and her legs flew around my waist.

“Autumn!  I knew you would come!”

“Shhh... don’t wake your friends,” I said.  “Of course I came.  I had to make sure you and Connie were okay.”

“Some of the others got hurt.  Daniel made us come in here.  I wanted to stay with Connie, but he wouldn’t let me.”

“I know,” I said.  “You were being very brave by helping Connie, but I’m glad you listened to Daniel.  I have a surprise for you.  Do you wanna see?”

She leaned back far enough to look me in the eyes.

“Are we going home now?”

“Not yet, we have to wait for Connie to get well.  Is there a flashlight in here?  I think we’ll need it for you to see the surprise.”

“Daniel left one with us.  Some of the other kids were scared.”  She released my neck and dropped to the floor, then tiptoed through the sleeping children and came back with a flashlight.

“Perfect,” I said. We left the room, and I took a moment to acclimate before leading her to the south wall of rooms. When I was above the center entrance that Franklin pointed out earlier, I tried the door handle. It was unlocked. “Let’s hope we’re not disturbing anyone.” Rissi giggled at me as she watched me peek in, making sure the room was unoccupied.

“Looks good.  Come on in,” I said as I opened the door farther for her.

“Why’d you put my surprise in here?”

“Well, it’s not exactly in here.”  I went to the window and peeked beyond the curtain.  Perfect, I thought, and smiled.  “It’s out there,” I said and pulled open the curtains, letting the afternoon sunshine pour in.

Her eyes lit up as she saw him.  Ben was just outside the glass, digging with Sam.  Sand covered the bottom of the window by about three feet, but I was glad to see they seemed to be making quick progress.  Rissi squealed.

“It’s Ben!”  She hopped up on a chair and pounded on the thick glass where his feet were.  Ben didn’t notice.  “Why can’t he see me?!”  She moaned.

“The glass is black on the other side.  This might help.”  I joined her on the chair and held the flashlight up to the window and began to wave it across the glass and up at Ben’s eyes.  It took a moment, but I could tell when it caught Ben’s attention.  He stopped his digging, stared oddly at the window, and then dropped to his knees and pressed his hands up to the glass to look inside.  Rissi pressed her mouth against the glass and blew, making her cheeks look fat and swollen.

Ben definitely saw that.  He laughed and got Sam’s attention and pointed at us.  Her face broke into a bright smile, and she waved.  Ben grabbed her, hugging her in his joy.

Taken aback, I looked away.  An uneasiness came over me.

“Who’s she?  I don’t remember her,” Rissi said.

“Just a new friend,” I said, trying to play it off.  Rissi remembered leaving The Water Tower to move to the hideout in the basement of Hollywood High School, but she wouldn’t remember Sam, who had been lying face down on the driveway, unconscious, as we ran by her and the other Front Greeters who had chased me home.

Ben started miming at us through the window, and I realized he meant he and Sam were coming inside the Egyptian.  He turned to leave, but I pounded on the glass to get his attention.  He put his face up to the glass, blocking the light with his hands.

I motioned that we were going to eat and pointed at him and Sam.  Then I held up three fingers, then six fingers.  Then I made a zero shape with my hand, followed by four fingers.  He nodded, and after waving one last time to Rissi, they picked up their shovels and headed toward the rope hanging on the side of the Egyptian.

“Our new friend, Vonna, invited us up to one of the spa suites to eat,” I told Rissi.  “Hungry?”

“Starving!”

We ran into Shad in the stairwell on the twenty-sixth floor. He was asleep, propped up against the railing. Rissi jumped on him, and he woke suddenly with a groan and gently adjusted her knee away from his stomach.

“You’re getting too big to do that,” he said, sleepily.  “So you survived?”

Rissi nodded and stood up, her face pink with embarrassment.

“Dang, I thought we got rid of you.  You know my name is on your Molly doll if you croak while I’m still alive.”

“Shad!”  I admonished him.  “Why do you always have to say the most inappropriate thing?”

“And why do you have to continuously be scandalized by my comments?  You’ve known me long enough now.  You should expect them.  And Rissi,” he looked at her with a serious face.  “You don’t have to give me Molly.  You know I’m more of a Kit fan anyway.”  His face split in a grin.

“I’m too old for dolls anymore anyway,” she said, giggling.  I raised my eyebrows, looking down at her.  I knew she slept with her Molly doll every night, but I kept my mouth shut.